This invention pertains to apparatus for substantially automatically assembling connector devices of the insulation piercing terminal type to multiconductor flat electrical cable.
The trend toward increased usage of multiconductor flat cable with high density conductor spacing has brought about a need for apparatus which is capable of accurate alignment and rapid assembly of connectors of the insulation displacement terminal type of the cable.
A need has also developed for apparatus which is capable of substantially automatically preparing predetermined lengths of cable and applying connectors to each end of the cable as well as at predetermined points between the cable ends. Moreover, in the application of connectors to multiconductor flat cable, it is desirable to provide for inverting one or more connectors with respect to other connectors applied to the cable and, accordingly, automatic assembly apparatus with such a capability is also desirable.
Heretofore, known methods and equipment for applying connectors to multiconductor flat cable involve substantially manually actuated bench mounted apparatus such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,811 and 4,020,540 as well as hand-held manual tools including that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,560 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.